Chapter 33: A Job Well Done (End of Chapter)
Chapter 33: A Job Well Done (End of Chapter)
In a quiet corner of the Hufflepuff common room, Cedric stared in shock at the enthusiastic first-years nearby.
He couldn't understand what was wrong with this year's batch of newcomers. How could they not realize that Kyle was making things up? And yet, here they were, hanging on to his every word.
This was Hufflepuff, not Ravenclaw.
Cedric didn't know what others were thinking, but if he were the one confined to the school hospital, he would be the last person to ask for class notes or homework.
Especially homework.
Good grief, considering homework as a gift... Was that something a sane wizard would come up with? Even Voldemort wouldn't stoop to such a despicable level.
Cedric's conscience told him that he should expose Kyle and save the innocent Micker.
But he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Because, in a way, what Kyle was doing would make the Hufflepuff badgers pay more attention in class.
That was undoubtedly a good thing.
Cedric was torn. In his fifteen years of life, he had never faced such a difficult choice. On one hand, he had his conscience; on the other, his responsibility as a senior student. He didn't want to abandon either, and so he wavered between the two.
Not far from Cedric, equally perplexed, was Connor, the only other first-year who seemed to have a semblance of clarity.
Unlike Cedric, Connor's thoughts were much simpler.
Stay away from Kyle! Connor vowed to himself. As soon as I get my special rat tonic, I'm keeping my distance from him. Even if I can't transfer to another house, I'll do my best to avoid any possible encounters.
Oh, and during classes, I'll make sure to sit as far away from him as possible.
Meanwhile, the little badgers brimming with a sense of mission continued to discuss their plans, while Kyle, his job well done, quietly slipped away from the group.
Now that everyone's attention was focused on their upcoming tasks, he, as their tool, naturally faded into the background, no longer the center of attention.
Kyle found a sofa away from the crowd and sat down to browse through The Wind-touched Bard.
This was a book published fifty years ago, recounting the travels of a bard and the troubles he encountered along the way, as well as the various wonders he beheld.
Its style was similar to Rohald's works, but with a key difference: this book devoted only a small portion to the bard himself, focusing instead on the places he visited and the unique magic he discovered there.
It introduced Kyle to a plethora of region-specific charms, leaving him with a refreshing sense of novelty.
Kyle read the book all the way until noon, when Cedric came to call him for lunch, reluctantly closing the book.
"What are you reading?" Cedric asked curiously. "I called your name several times, but you didn't react at all."
"The Wind-touched Bard," Kyle replied, handing the book to Cedric. "It's a fascinating biography recommended by Headmaster Dumbledore."
"Recommended by the Headmaster?"
Cedric's eyes lit up, and he immediately expressed his interest in reading it as well.
"That's fine, but I've just started it myself," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "You can wait a few days for me to finish, or you could ask the library if they have another copy."
"No need," Cedric said, returning the book to Kyle. "Just let me know when you're done, and I'll borrow it then. Knowing our library, they're unlikely to have two of the same biography."
By now, news of a Hufflepuff first-year blowing up the Charms classroom that morning had spread throughout Hogwarts.
Inside the Great Hall, almost all the young witches and wizards were excitedly discussing this very topic.
"Hey, look who it is!"
As soon as Kyle entered the Great Hall, Fred and George, who had been waiting for him, blocked his way.
"I knew it, with you here, Hogwarts would never be peaceful. Just as I expected," Fred said, hooking his arm around Kyle's shoulder. "Now, tell us, how did you blow up the classroom?"
"Yeah, we heard that even Professor Flitwick left the classroom with a limp," George added.
"Blowing up the classroom on the first lesson..." Fred and George looked at each other and exclaimed in unison, "Kyle, you're going to go down in school history!"
The twins' voices carried, and soon attracted the attention of other students, who began to gather around them intentionally or otherwise.
Kyle was speechless. Feeling helpless, he said, "First of all, it's common sense that the Lumos spell can't blow up a classroom. Professor Flitwick just happened to trip and hurt his leg."
"Secondly, the little wizard responsible for all this is currently in the school hospital, and it has nothing to do with me. If you continue to slander me, I will write to Mrs. Weasley."
"It wasn't you?"
The twins froze, clearly not expecting this outcome.
"Of course not. Why would you think that?" Kyle pointed to his side and said, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Cedric."
"I can vouch for that. It really wasn't Kyle," Cedric nodded immediately.
"There, you heard him," Kyle pushed the two aside. "By the way, where did you get this information from? It's so unreliable."
"From a Ravenclaw first-year," Fred shrugged. "They said you sent your classmate to the school hospital."
Kyle was even more speechless after hearing this. "I was just trying to help, okay? Professor Dumbledore even awarded me twenty points. By the way, did they say anything else? Surely they didn't just say that one sentence."
"Don't know," George spread his hands, as if it were only natural. "We only heard that one sentence as we were passing by."
"I... "
Kyle took a deep breath. He really didn't want to talk to these two anymore.
He had originally thought that there was a Ravenclaw student who took things out of context, but he never expected that the real gossip-mongers would be Fred and George.
When you're snooping for information, at least hear the whole story! How could you just catch the tail end of it, and such a misleading tail end at that?
Fortunately, they had come to him directly and hadn't spread the story around. Otherwise, the good reputation he had built up would have been ruined.
Kyle sighed and patted the twins' shoulders. "You two are a waste of talent here at Hogwarts. You should be working for the Daily Prophet. Rita Skeeter would love you."
...
(End of Chapter)
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